Nader Gets Busy

OTHER NEWS TO NOTE WASHINGTON

November 24, 1989

RALPH NADER is launching a campaign to repeal a congressional pay raise and limit members of Congress to 12 years in office. ''Such governmental misbehavior and effrontery cannot continue,'' Nader said at a news conference Wednesday. ''The pay grab of November 1989 is symbolic of the government rot that is reaching critical mass.'' Nader called the bipartisan leadership agreement that allowed the rapid passage of the pay raise a ''two party cabal'' that used ''dictatorial procedural practices.'' Nader wants to persuade Congress to reverse itself on the pay raise when it meets next year, or barring that, to generate opposition to members of Congress who supported the raise and face re-election next year. Members of Congress, Nader said, receive an adequate salary, a lavish pension and other benefits, and are in the top 1 percent of all Americans in pay. He disputed the notion that paying more would attract more qualified people to government. ''All it does is increase their greed,'' Nader said. He said he wanted a constitutional amendment to limit members of Congress to 12 years in office, saying it would reduce the power of legislative leaders who pushed the pay raise.